Repairing an Apprentice broken fuselage at the tail

[Frank v B]

An apprentice that crashed on Wednesday had a bent fuselage when glued.  The tail was several degrees downward.

To fix this, I cut a pie-shaped pice out of both sides of the fuselage without cutting the bottom. (first photo)
Apply 5 minute epoxy on the break (both sides) and bend the fuselage up until it is level.
Roll toothpicks in the epoxy and pin them across the break. (second photo)
Once the epoxy dries, cut the toothpicks.

Use round toothpicks because they are stronger than the flat ones.  The wood bridges the break and strengthens it.

The plane flew again a half hour later.

Frank

ps: a seasoned Apprentice will have two to three breaks in this area.  Right of passage.